Kipchoge wins London Marathon, Farah is third

Britain's Mo Farah crossing the finish line of the London Marathon yesterday in a national record of 2hr 6min 21sec. After the race, he claimed some marathon staff had been more focused on taking pictures than helping runners.PHOTO: AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE

LONDON • Mo Farah finished in a more than creditable third place at the London Marathon, behind Kenya's Eliud Kipchoge - who won the event for the third time yesterday - but the Briton was still unhappy over a mishap with his drinks bottle.

Despite breaking the British record with a time of 2hr 6min 21sec, Farah voiced his frustration after a bizarre incident during the race, which the Daily Mail said was the hottest on record with a temperature of 23.2 deg C.

The 35-year-old noticed his drinks bottle had gone missing around the 10-mile (1.6km) mark and had to turn back for it.

In the aftermath, the four-time Olympic gold medallist was observed to be having a heated debate with a steward on a motorbike and he later claimed marathon staff were more interested in "trying to take a picture" than doing their jobs.

"The drink station was confusing - I was table four, I went to pick it up. The staff were helpful at the end but at the beginning, they were trying to take a picture rather than giving me the drink," Farah told the BBC.

"I was saying to the people on motorbikes to tell the staff to be a bit helpful instead of taking pictures. I wasn't wasting energy, I just needed a drink. I had to get it right."

The setback, however, did not affect Farah in any material way though, as he went on to better Steve Jones' mark - set at the Chicago Marathon in 1985 - by an impressive 68 seconds.

Farah was in a far better mood discussing his result, lightheartedly suggesting he could compete in the Athletics World Championships in Doha next year.

"I'm satisfied with the result. I can't do any better than what I did," he said. "I learnt the hard way today, running the hard way, but I'm pleased overall because if you looked at the field before we started that race, you would never put me in third place, you would put ahead of me so many other guys.

"My aim is to run another marathon in the autumn and then see what happens in the summer of 2019. Doha, eh?"

Kipchoge, the 2015 and 2016 champion, won with a time of 2:04:17 - 2min 20sec off compatriot Dennis Kimmetto's world record - as unusually high temperatures made running conditions difficult in the English capital.

There was also a surprise victory for Vivian Cheruiyot in the women's race, who stormed past fellow Kenyan and favourite Mary Keitany, crossing the line in 2:18:31.

REUTERS

A version of this article appeared in the print edition of The Straits Times on April 23, 2018, with the headline 'Kipchoge wins London Marathon, Farah is third'. Print Edition | Subscribe

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